Elements of Art
This element refers to the lightness or darkness of tones within a photograph, ranging from pure white to deep black.
What is Value?
The distribution of visual weight in an image, which can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial.
What is Balance?
The opening within a lens through which light travels into the camera body, measured in f-stops.
What is the Aperture?
A compositional guideline where an image is divided into nine equal segments by two horizontal and two vertical lines.
What is the Rule of Thirds?
The setting that determines your camera sensor’s sensitivity to light, where a higher number is useful in low light but introduces digital noise.
What is ISO?
Formed when a line encloses an area, this 2D element can be geometric or organic.
What is Shape?
Creating a focal point in a photograph to draw the viewer's eye first.
What is Emphasis (or Focal Point)?
The mechanism inside the camera that opens and closes to expose the digital sensor (or film) to light for a specific duration.
What is the Shutter?
Lines within an image (like roads, fences, or rivers) that guide the viewer’s eye toward the main subject.
What are Leading Lines?
This setting controls how long the sensor is exposed to light and determines whether motion is frozen or blurred.
What is Shutter Speed?
The tactile surface quality of an object, which can be emphasized in photos using side lighting.
What is Texture?
The arrangement of opposite elements (like light vs dark or rough vs. smooth) to create visual interest?
What is Contrast?
The optical glass component that focuses light onto the camera sensor.
What is the Lens?
Using natural elements in your scene (like archways, branches, or doorways) to surround your subject.
What is Framing?
You take a photo and the picture turns out too bright. Is it overexposed or underexposed?
What is overexposed?
A three-dimensional element that has height, width, and depth, often created in photography through depth of field and shadow.
What is Form?
The repetition of visual elements, such as shapes, lines, or colors, in a regular pattern.
What is Rhythm (or Pattern)?
The glass window on the back of a DSLR or mirrorless camera that you look through to frame your shot.
What is the Viewfinder?
The technique of filling the entirely with your subject to eliminate background distractions.
What is Filling the Frame?
You need a motion picture. What setting will you adjust?
What is shutter speed?
The illusion of 3D depth on a 2D plane, or the area around, between, and within subjects (positive vs. negative).
What is Space?
The sense that all individual elements in a photograph fit together seamlessly to create a harmonious whole.
What is Unity?
The light-sensitive electronic component inside a digital camera that captures the image (e.g., CMOS or CCD).
What is the Sensor?
Leaving intentional empty area around your subject to create a sense of scale, isolation, or calm.
What is Negative Space?
What is the most important component of your camera?
What is the image sensor?